The best Z370 motherboards of 2020
One of the best Z370 motherboards will open up an interesting puzzle to solve — especially with Intel’s Coffee Lake processors. They have a bit of a two-sided approach to operation, and are paired with even the best graphics cards, as they can significantly increase clock speeds and core counts, but are only compatible with 300-series chipsets. This means that the decision about whether to buy them and how they are good for you and your machine may be less obvious. But to help you make an informed decision, and make it generally easier, this guide to the best Z370 motherboards should help.
The good news is that the best Z370 motherboards have become more affordable over time, so your chances of getting your money’s worth have never been higher. Price aside, one of the best Z370 motherboards will give you quite a bit more power and more “horsepower,” and they’ll offer quality components suitable for building an update or brand new.
Intel will inevitably expand its 300-series portfolio with the Z390 chipset in the future, but until then, you can rely on this page to show you the best Z370 motherboards available right now (and the best H370 motherboards for a good selection).
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ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero Wi-Fi AC
The best high-end Z370 motherboards
Specification
Chipset: Z370
Memory: (4) DIMMs, 64GB, DDR4-4133
PCIe slots: (2) x16 (x16 or dual x8), x16 (x4), (3) x1
Video ports: HDMI, DisplayPort
USB Ports: (8) Rear IO, (7) Internal
Storage: (2) M.2, (6) SATA
Network: Ethernet, 866Mbps 802.11ac
Lighting: Radiator RGB, (2) Aura RGB, (1) Addressable Aura
Reason for purchase
+
Excellent CPU and memory overclocking
+
Not too expensive for a top board
reasons to avoid
–
More M.2 slots would be better
–
Wi-Fi could be faster
The latest Asus Hero board is the ROG Maximus X Hero (Wi-Fi AC). It’s a mixed victory for Asus, winning the category but keeping the more expensive Maximus Formula out of the Z370’s main high-end option. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a reason to go beyond the Maximus X Hero when it comes to putting together a Coffee Lake rig. Given that the X299 is Intel’s true high-end platform, it’s hard to justify a small boost in speed, power, or style over the more expensive Z370 boards. This year’s model adds 802.11ac 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi to the network mix, but a non-wireless version is also available if you want to save a few bucks.
Overclocking is still top-notch, with a stable, water-cooled 5.1 GHz overclock on the i7-8700K achieved with only slight voltage changes. VRM temps were a problem with many early Z370 board designs and are not an issue here. Memory support on various tested DIMMs up to 3600MHz was flawless, timing adjustments were only required when exceeding the spec DDR4 clock. Performance is equally impressive, with the benchmark figures reflecting the fast overclocks the Hero maintains, putting it on par with motherboards that cost a third more. The board includes a nice array of onboard controls such as reset and power buttons, POST code display, clear BIOS switch, and a memory reset button.
Fashion-wise, the Hero isn’t too different from its previous gunmetal gray iteration, adding some heatsink trinkets to the center of the board, over the board’s one dual 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, and the included backlit RGB lighting . The pre-installed shrouds and backplates for the I/O panels are easy to install, give a premium feel, and the color combinations are neutral enough to work with most components. Another new feature of the Maximus X Hero is an addressable RGB header, which allows compatible RGB strips to display multicolor patterns instead of solid colors.
Asus continues to use the current top-of-the-line ALC1220 codec, along with typical SupremeFX enhancements and an ESS Sabre9023P DAC. USB has an onboard 3.1 Gen 2 socket for front panel use. The board is almost perfect, with better Wi-Fi and an extra M.2 slot on our list of potential improvements. Maybe we’ll see these in the Z390 version, so stay tuned.
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Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5
Z370 at an affordable price
Specification
Chipset: Z370
Memory: (4) DIMMs, 64GB, DDR4-4133
PCIe slots: x16, x16 (x8), x16 (x4), (3) x1
Video ports: HDMI, DisplayPort
USB Ports: (8) Rear IO, (7) Internal
Storage: (3) M.2, (6) SATA
Network: Ethernet, 433Mbps 802.11ac
Lighting: Heatsink and PCIe slot RGB, (2) RGBW headers
Reason for purchase
+
Uncompromising functionality, including three M.2 slots
+
Smooth RGB package with two LED headers
reasons to avoid
–
Moderate overclocking potential
–
VRM heatsink assembly issue reported
Gigabyte isn’t as flashy as other top motherboard makers, but the Aorus Z370 Gaming 5 packs a punch well above its midrange weight class. For well under $200, the Gaming 5 offers three M.2 slots, Intel Wi-Fi and Ethernet, full RGB processing with multiple headers, and ALC 1220 audio. All-round performance isn’t the typical strength of the Aorus line, which strikes a balance between function and style and sheer volume chasing, but the Gaming 5 excels in that area.
The board features 10-phase CPU power, dual BIOS and memory support, with a theoretical frequency of up to 4133MHz. Testing showed more modest limits, but the 3466 and 3600 G.Skill and Corsair DDR4 kits ran without any issues. The processor speed is equally impressive, almost surpassing the 5GHz threshold. The Gigabyte does have some shortcuts, like 1×1 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and doesn’t have a power button, overclock switch, or other controls installed, though thankfully there are POST code readouts. Instead of tinkering on a workbench all day, this board wants to spend a day of gaming in a nice windowed chassis. For most gamers, this is not a problem.
If you’re planning a compact build, be aware: the Z370 Gaming 5’s shielding and styling suffer from some bulky areas, such as the AMP UP audio section, which can cause problems when installing some larger video cards. There have also been reports of users from the support group and elsewhere having loose VRM shields, although this is not the case with the samples tested here, so keep an eye on the build quality until the return period ends.
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ASUS TUF H370-Pro Gaming Wi-Fi
Best Budget Motherboards for Coffee Lake
Specification
Chipset: H370
Memory: (4) DIMMs, 64GB, DDR4-2666
PCIe slots: x16, x16 (x4), (4) x1
Video Ports: D-Sub, HDMI, DisplayPort
USB ports: 7 rear IOs, 6 internal
Storage: (2) M.2, (6) SATA
Network: Ethernet, 1.73Gbps 802.11ac
Lighting: Edge RGB, (1) Aura RGB header
Reason for purchase
+
Excellent Wi-Fi Implementation
+
Excellent real-world performance
reasons to avoid
–
limited memory speed
–
weak audio
The Asus TUF H370 Pro Gaming Wi-Fi made an impressive debut for the series in our guide, sweeping the feature budget list while bucking the trend. This is a rebel. It gets rid of the armor plates for a retro look that back-to-basics rig builders will love. It’s wrapped in a simple black and silver with just a little RGB lighting on the right edge, and it looks sharp and supports just about any color combination you throw at it.
Under the hood, the TUF Pro Gaming includes dual M.2 slots, 10 Gb Gen 2 USB 3.1, Intel v219 Ethernet, and a powerful 2×2 Intel 9560 802.11ac adapter with MU-MIMO and 160MHz wide channel mode to keep the competition going Shame on rivals in a price segment where Wi-Fi is rarely found. Audio is less impressive, and the older ALC887 codec is down on the latest technology.
The H370 chipset doesn’t support overclocking or higher memory speeds, but that didn’t stop the TUF Pro Gaming from coming back in real-world testing, where it held its own in gaming evaluations against more expensive Z370 motherboards and overclocked system configurations. For gaming purposes, upgrading the GPU will be a better use of money than overclockable CPUs, fast DDR4, and motherboard upgrades.
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ASUS ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming
The Best Z370 Boards for Small Builds
Specification
Chipset: Z370
Memory: (2) DIMMs, 32GB, DDR4-4333
PCIe slot: (1) x16
Video ports: HDMI, DisplayPort
USB Ports: (8) Rear IO, (4) Internal
Storage: (2) M.2, (4) SATA
Network: Ethernet, 866Mbps 802.11ac
Lighting: Edge RGB, (1) Addressable Aura RGB
Reason for purchase
+
Dual M.2 slots
+
Excellent overclocking and system performance
+
Sleek look and RGB implementation
reasons to avoid
–
An M.2 slot is located under the motherboard
–
Asus’ top ITX motherboards deserve faster Wi-Fi
Since the Z270, ASUS’s ITX Strix offering has been ahead of ASRock’s Killer ITX offering, taking the No. 1 spot in this boutique segment. Despite its small size and lack of upgrade options, the ROG Strix Z370-I Gaming offers great performance and value. With a solid 5GHz overclock, using multiple memory speeds, including a tweaked 3600MHz, its single PCIe x16 slot pushed the GTX 1080 Ti to speeds that match or exceed most Z370 ATX motherboards during testing, scoring above it Recommended level for size and price class.
The feature list is long, with a full array of USB 2 and 3 ports, including USB 3.1 Gen2 type-C and sockets for front-panel USB 3.1 Gen2. ASUS achieves this mid-size form factor by providing an M.2 slot under the chipset heatsink and a second slot on the back of the motherboard, which mitigates the impact of ITX’s single PCIE and two DIMM slots. Some upgrade potential not usually available. Both M.2 slots support 32Gb/s transfer speed. Networking is strong too, with Intel v219 Ethernet paired with an Intel 8265 2×2 802.11ac Wi-Fi module, and audio getting full Z370 ROG SupremeFX processing, ALC1220A codec with isolation circuitry and headphone amp support.
It’s a dense set of features, but the Strix Z370-I’s clean design facilitates quick system assembly and configuration. Just make sure to install the bottom-mounted M.2 drive beforehand or choose a case with a cutout in the right area, or you’ll be taking everything apart again. There are also some sharp headers, so be careful to avoid involuntary blood donations when mounting the board in a tight case.
How we test
The motherboards recommended in this guide have all undergone extensive research and evaluation, including case installation (full-tower, mid-tower, and ITX, as applicable), performance benchmarks, stability tests, and a tracking period for actual break-in use focused on gaming , entertainment and media software.
If possible, all tests were performed with the same components installed to remove any variables other than the motherboard itself. We also looked at the entire field of Z370 motherboards and narrowed the list down to the best and most competitive motherboards before choosing each round as a guide.
Benchmarks include AIDA 64 Extreme, PCMark 8/10, Cinebench 15, CrystalDiskMark, 3DMark FireStrike, DPC Latency Checker, and more. Real-world break-ins include office and creative work, media streaming, and gaming, including GTA 5, Total War: Warhammer II, Dirt Rally, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Far Cry 5, Hitman, and others.
Gaming tests were run at 1080p at medium to high settings to remove any bottlenecks caused by graphics performance. When relevant, both single-graphics and dual-graphics configurations have been tested to ensure board stability in SLI and Crossfire situations.
Motherboards We’ve Evaluated
Including the category winners listed above, we also tested the following motherboards. Some of these represent reasonable alternatives to our main picks, and good sales can be the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Below are the boards we tested in alphabetical order.
ASRock Z370M-ITX/ac
This ITX entry from ASRock offers a similar feature set to the Asus Z370-I Strix for $50 less, but with lower performance and…
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